Filing Cabinet

MOST BASKETBALL PLAYERS CHOOSE THE EASY WAY!

AVERAGE TEAMS:

always show up physically …but mentally?

have individuals…

make excuses…

do not work any harder than they have to …

are inconsistent –up for one game, down
for the next …

rarely seem to win the big game …

live on past accomplishments or future fantasies …

always think they know more than their coach …

always think they are better players than they are given credit for …

are a dime a dozen …

GREAT TEAMS:

are self-motivated …

are intelligent …

are consistent …

execute …

are fundamentally sound …

out hustle opponets …

play together …
do not worry about individual accomplishments. The team is always first …

win the games they are supposed to …

can accept constructive criticism …

believe in their teammates and help motive them by being a positive complimentary player …

are not just satisfied with a win, but also with how well they played…

have players who have sacrificed many hours by themselves in the cold, at night, when they could’ve been
somewhere else, in order to become a better skilled individual in order to better help the team…

are not just born, but are developed by hard work, cooperation, and a common goal …

unfortunately are seldom found because most choose the easy way …

THE BEST THING IS, IT IS YOUR CHOICE!

written by Tom Krause

(I received this poem from a player I coached who has also done some coaching–Jake Despot.)

If you can’t use it this summer, maybe it might be useful next season.

From the time I was little, I knew I was great
’cause the people would tell me- “you’ll make it- just wait.”
But they never did tell me how great I would be
If I ever played someone who was greater than me.

When I’m in my backyard–I’m king with the ball.
To swish all those baskets is no sweat at all.
But all of a sudden there’s a man in my face
Who doesn’t seem to realize-I’m king of this place.

So the pressure gets to me- I rush with the ball.
My passes to teammates could fly through the wall.
My jumper’s not falling-my dribble’s not sure.
My hand is not steady-my eye is not pure.

The fault is my teammates-they don’t understand.
The fault is my coach’s-what a terrible plan.
The fault is the call by that blind referee
But the fault is not mine–I’m the greatest you see.

Then finally it hits me when I started to see
That the face in the mirror looks exactly like me.
It wasn’t my teammates who were dropping the ball
And it wasn’t my coach shooting bricks at the wall.

That face in the mirror that was always so great
Had some room for improvement–instead of just hate.
So I stopped blaming others and I started to grow.
My play got much better and it started to show.

And all of my teammates didn’t seem quite so bad.
I learned to depend on the good friends I had.
Now I like myself better since I started to see-
I was lousy being great–I’m much better being me.

No matter what level of basketball, there are many areas in basketball coaching that are more of an art than a science.

Getting players to continually play hard is one of those areas.

If you can come up with a list of things for your program that you believe constitute playing hard and then look for and praise those things when they happen, you are likely to develop a culture in your program that playing with all out intensity is the only way you practice and play.

This list was designed for a high school basketball program, but I believe that it can be modified and adapted to fit whatever level of basketball coaching you are at.

• Beat the ball down the floor in transition and conversion.
• Rebound position every shot—back, space, pinch on free throw.

 

• Play defensive in a stance.
• Help and then recover.
• Help the helper.
• Close out with hands above shoulders.
• Dive on loose balls.
• Protect the ball when you have it.
• Rip through on pivots—strong with the basketball.
• Chin rebounds.
• Meet every pass.
• Change direction and speed on cuts.
• Take a charge.
• Steal passes that are thrown too far.
• Sprinting from spot to spot in basketball practice.
• Contest every shot.
• Ball Fakes.
• Deflect passes.

Togetherness Looks Like

• Verbal response and applause for good plays (regardless of shirt color in basketball practice)
• Encourage a teammate after an error or a missed shot that was a good shot
• Help a teammate up off the ground
• High fives and back slapping
• Huddles on the floor
• Never criticize a teammate
• Bench stands when a player leaves the game
• Acknowledge a player being substituted for in practice as he leaves the floor if you are also on the sideline

Since team building is a huge part of the art of basketball coaching, you can never have too many resources for team meetings, bulletin boards, or player’s notebooks.

Here is one that we hope you will find to be useful with your team:

1. Keep skid chains on your tongue. Always say less than you think. Cultivate a low, persuasive voice. How you say it often counts more than what you say.
2. Make promises sparingly and keep them faithfully, no matter what the cost.
3. Never let an opportunity pass to say a kind and encouraging word to or about somebody. Praise good work, regardless of who it is.
4. Be interested in others; their pursuits, their work, their homes and their families. Make merry with those who rejoice; with those who weep, mourn. Let everyone you meet, however humble, feel that you regard him as a person of importance.
5. Be cheerful. Don’t burden or depress those around you by dwelling on your aches and pains and small disappointments. Remember, everyone is carrying some kind of burden.
6. Keep an open mind. Discuss but don’t argue. It is a mark of a superior mind to be able to disagree without being disagreeable.
7. Let your virtues, if you have any, speak for themselves. Refuse to talk about the vices of others. Discourage gossip. It is a waste of valuable time and can be destructive and hurtful.
8. Take into consideration the feelings of others. Wit and humor at the expense of another are never worth the pain that may be inflicted.
9. Pay no attention to ill-natured remarks about you. Remember, the person who carried the message may not be the most accurate reporter in the world. Simply live so that nobody will believe him. Disordered nerves and bad digestion are a common cause of backbiting.
10. Don’t be anxious about the credit due you. Do your best and be patient. Forget about yourself and let others “remember.” Success is much sweeter that way.

Personality Traits of Winning Athletes

DRIVE: Desire to win or be successful; sets and maintains high goals for themselves in athletics; responds positively to competition. Desires to attain athletic excellence.

AGGRESSIVENESS: Believes one must be aggressive to win; will not allow others to push them around in competition.

DETERMINATION: Willingness to practice long and hard; often works out willingly by themself; persevering, patient, and unrelenting in work habits. Works on skills until exhausted.

GUILT-PRONENESS: Accepts responsibility for own actions; accepts blame and criticism even when not deserved; willing to endure much physical and mental pain.

LEADERSHIP: Enjoys the role of leader and may assume it spontaneously; attempts to influence or direct others in a postive way.

 

SELF-CONFIDENCE: Have unfaltering confidence in themselves and their capacity to deal with things; handles unexpected situations well; speaks up appropriatelyfor beliefs to coaches and players.

EMOTIONAL CONTROL: Tends to be emotionally stable and realistic about athletics; will rarely allow feelings to show and performance is not affected by them; not easily frustrated by bad breaks, calls or mistakes.

MENTAL TOUGHNESS: Accepts strong criticism without feeling hurt; can bounce back quickly from adversity; does not need excessive encouragement from the coach.

COACHABILITY: Receptive to coaches’ advice; considers coaching important to becoming a good athlete; accepts the leadership and cooperates with authorities.

CONSCIENTIOUSNESS: Tends to be exacting in character, dominated by sense of duty; will not attempt to bend rules and regulations to suit own needs; places the good of the team above personal well being.

TRUST: Accepts people at face value, believes what the coaches and teammates say and does not look for ulterior motives behind their words or actions; tends to get along well with teammates.

The Way to Victory

Victories of life are won not on the fields nor in the marts where the deci­sive struggle takes place, but in the obscure and forgotten hours of prepara­tion. Success or failure lies in the hands of the individual long before the hour of final test comes.

In the higher fields of success there are no accidents; men reap precisely what they have sown and nothing else; they do well precisely what they have prepared to do and they do nothing else well.

The world puts its force into us when we put ourselves in right relation with it: Experience makes us constantly wiser if we know how to rationalize it: Time deposits all manner of treasure in our imagination and memory, if we hole the doors open.

Nothing is lost upon a man who is bent upon growth, nothing wasted on one who is constantly preparing for his work and his life by keeping eyes, mind, and heart open to nature, men, books and experience. All things that he has seen, heard, known and felt come to his aid at the critical moment to make his thought clear and keep his illustration luminous, his speech eloquent and inspiring.

Compliments of Indiana State University

212–The Extra Degree

If you haven’t seen the video below yet, I think it is worth three minutes to take a look at. It drives home the point that success is not that far away and why it is important to continue to give that little extra effort to get there!

Make sure that your speakers are on before you click on this image…

If you liked that video, we have several other similar ones in our basketball videos section. Click the link below and then click the “Inspiration” tab when you land on the videos page.

I received this from Coach Phil Beckner in the June issue of the Weber State Newsletter.

All coaches know the importance of effective leadership within their team. Leadership can be provided vocally and through actions, and both forms are proven to be effective in different instances.

Teams are driven by their leaders and the examples that they set and communicate to others. As coaches, we sometimes forget that the leadership from our players is just as, if not in some cases, more important to our team than our own guidance and coaching. This is why it is vitally important that we work to develop strong leaders within our team.

Some players are naturally born leaders who come into our program with all the traits and desire to do whatever it takes to help their team be successful. Other players need time to develop and learn what it takes to lead. What you do with your team in the off-season can be very influential for these types of leaders.

 

Alan Stein wrote an article entitled, 5 Steps to Being a Great Leader, in which he listed the steps as being:

1. Learn from your mistakes
2. Lead by example
3. Put others’ needs first
4. Have confidence
5. Set a high standards.

Coaches can use all of the workouts, practices, and games that occur in the off season to encourage these steps to their players. For players who are already established as leaders on their team the off season is an important time for them to set the team standards and build trusting relationships with the new team members.

Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski believes that character is key to leadership and the close relationship that a coach and his leader build in the off season will be
important during a tense moment during the season. A team’s best player will have a lot of influence on that team and it is important that a good relationship is built with that player to ensure that their influence is positive.

The more you help them develop and become secure leaders, the easier it will be for them to share their leadership and empower others. Look for instances this summer to test, strengthen, and determine who the leaders of your team are. Make it a point to build the leadership in your team both on and off the court, because leadership is too valuable to your team’s success to wait for the season to develop it.

The Coaching Toolbox has hundreds of resources for coaching basketball including basketball practice, basketball plays, basketball drills, basketball quotes, basketball workouts, basketball poems, and more!